FREMONT, CA: Sensato, a boutique cybersecurity firm and Divurgent, a healthcare consulting firm, have come together to form “Medical Device Cybersecurity Task Force”, a collaborative forum to identify practices and strategies with an eye on securing medical devices.

A free cross-industry group Medical Device Cybersecurity Task Force, consists of hospitals, cyber security researchers, information technology leaders, and medical device manufacturers. Both Sensato & Divurgent as a team has a goal which is to collaboratively develop cost effect, practical best practices and approaches to securing medical devices in healthcare organizations. Furthermore, looking at the features of the Medical Device Cybersecurity Task Force it will act as an intelligence liaison that allows the collection and sharing of potential threat intelligence with its members and government agencies.

Mike Maksymow, CIO of Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Delaware stated, "The Medical Device Cybersecurity Task Force is a critical channel to bring together industry thought leaders. Through collaboration and focus, we can rapidly evolve the state of cybersecurity as it relates to these devices, and that is a win-win for the entire industry."

There are five healthcare organizations, including Beebe Healthcare, that are currently members of the task force, representing a cross section of hospital types. Divurgent and Sensato, will work as the key coordinators for the task force that will provide resources and funding to sustain the organization. The practices developed by the task force will be made available under an open source basis, with the hope that the healthcare industry as a whole will benefit from its work.

"We are no longer in a world where identity theft is our only critical concern, but we are now faced with very really challenges related to patient safety," John Gomez, CEO of Sensato, highlighted. "To sit back and wait for something to occur is inappropriate. Our industry has extremely talented people with tremendous passion who want to take up the fight. We just need to provide a platform that gets people working together, and the Medical Device Cybersecurity Task Force is that platform."